: Re: How to "Show" and not "Tell" for nervousness? I was told to ask this question here. There’s a saying in writing to “show; don’t tell”. For example, instead of naming the emotion, “She

@Barnes643

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"Show don't tell" doesn't mean that for every feeling there is a periphrasis that expresses it better. So there is not a specific phrase to use for each case. It's never about single expressions, but rather about actions.

"Her heart was pounding" is ok, but it's not enough: you want to express a condition throughout the whole scene, so one single phrase is not the solution (in most case, I mean). For example, you need to "show" someone nervous, not try to find a fancy way to express nervousness. Your character needs to do actions that are dictated by that feeling. "She was tapping her feet rapidly" or "she couldn't stop bite her fingernails with her teeth".

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